About Us

Diverse Cymru is a unique Welsh charity committed to supporting people faced with inequality and discrimination because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation

We empower people through:

Advicearound welfare and benefits that helps people get the support they need.

Direct paymentsservices that let people receiving social services care choose and manage the support that best suits their needs.

We effect change through:

Consultancy and Trainingthat helps businesses, charities and the public sector, schools, universities and communities improve their diversity practice, increase knowledge and awareness of equality, mental health and well-being.

Promoting stories and experiences from the lives of people facing inequality and advocating on their behalf, or connecting them with, politicians and decision-makers at the local and national levels.

Our Vision and Mission

Diverse Cymru’s vision is to help create a nation without prejudice or discrimination, where every person is equal and diversity is celebrated, and our mission is to eliminate discrimination and inequality through:

Participation – Enabling people affected by inequality to engage with decision-makers and speak for themselves

Inspiring action – Motivating people to take action against inequality

Our History

Diverse Cymru was created in 2011 through a merger between Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People and Awetu. It was founded in recognition of the difficulties and discrimination faced by people experiencing inequality in Wales.

Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People

Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People (CVCDP) was created in 1991. It was established from the outset as an organisation of disabled people who could challenge barriers, bring disabled people together to campaign on relevant issues such as education, employment, housing and transport as well as strengthen the voices of disabled people in the community and in decision-making.

For over 20 years CVCDP continued to campaign for the rights of disabled people in Wales and developed in other areas including service delivery, consultancy services, training and lobbying. In the last five of those years CVCDP began to use its knowledge and expertise to expand its activities into other equality areas.

When CVCDP officially began the process of becoming Diverse Cymru in early 2011 it had 500 members, 3000 supporters and answered over 4000 information enquiries a year.

Awetu: All Wales BME Mental Health Project

Awetu (‘Our Unity’ in Swahili) was established in 1988 as a result of a growing concern among a number of professional workers at the over-representation of black clients within the mental health services and the need to improve the sensitivity of these services to better serve black people‘s needs.

As the organisation developed Awetu strived to support all black and minority ethnic (BME) people confronted by mental health problems in Wales through the delivery of its own services, by influencing the services provided by others to be more effective and sensitive to the needs of their users and by tackling race inequality. Throughout the 23 years of its existence, Awetu remained the only black and minority ethnic mental health group in Wales and was recognised as a leader in its field.

The organisation and was awarded the GlaxoSmithKline Health Impact Award in 2001, the Wales diversity Award for three consecutive years 2001-2003 and Guardian Charity of the year in 2006.

Diverse Cymru is a registered charity (1142159) and a company registered in England and Wales (07058600)